Trump halted U.S. envoys from traveling to Pakistan for talks with Iran, days after indirect negotiations failed. A fragile ceasefire pauses most fighting, but Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed Brent crude prices 50 percent higher and disrupted global oil shipments. Germany is deploying minesweepers to the Mediterranean to clear Iranian mines once hostilities end. Casualty figures include at least 3,375 deaths in Iran, 2,490 in Lebanon, and 23 in Israel, along with 15 Israeli soldiers, 13 U.S. service members, and 6 UN peacekeepers killed.
Seven people were killed and 17 injured when suspected guerrillas launched an explosive cylinder at a bus on the Pan-American Highway in Cajibío, Cauca, destroying the vehicle and leaving a massive crater. Governor Octavio Guzmán called it "an indiscriminate attack against the civilian population," and the incident comes just over a month before Colombia's presidential election. Separately, three people were injured when five cylinders detonated at a military base in Cali; the military attributed that attack to former FARC dissidents who rejected the 2016 peace agreement. Interior Minister Armando Benedetti announced increased troop deployment in response.
A Russian overnight attack killed at least four people and injured more than 30 others after Moscow launched 666 drones and missiles against multiple Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian air defences intercepted 580 drones and 30 missiles. In Dnipro, rescue teams searched rubble for five people still missing after a residential building was struck. Drone fragments fell on Romanian territory for the first time, damaging property in the city of Galati. The attacks coincided with a prisoner exchange that returned 193 captured personnel to each side.
Two explosions and sustained gunfire were heard near Mali's main military base in Kati on Saturday. Soldiers deployed to block roads in the area as the cause of the blasts remained unclear. Fighting was also reported in Gao and Sevare. General Assimi Goita, who seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, was granted a five-year presidential term last July despite earlier promises of a civilian handover. The junta relies on Russian mercenaries and recently began pursuing closer intelligence cooperation with the United States.
Hungary's Viktor Orban announced April 25 he will relinquish his parliamentary seat after losing to Peter Magyar's Tisza party, ending his 16 years in power. Orban said he would focus on reorganizing Fidesz and remained willing to serve as party president. Magyar accused Orban of cowardice, saying there could be no democratic opposition with a "mafia boss" in charge. The new parliament convenes May 9 with Tisza holding a two-thirds majority in the 199-seat assembly. Magyar has demanded the president and attorney general resign by May 31.
Armed groups launched a coordinated offensive against Mali's military on Saturday, striking Bamako, the international airport, and cities including Kati, Mopti, Gao, and Kidal. Mali's army confirmed the assaults and said combats are ongoing. Explosions were reported near Kati, where the main military base and General Assimi Goita's residence are located. No group has officially claimed responsibility, though suspicion has fallen on the Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM and the Tuareg separatist Front for the Liberation of Azawad.
Israeli forces killed at least four people in strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, targeting a truck and motorcycle in Yohmor al-Shaqif. Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad called the ceasefire "meaningless" amid continued Israeli attacks. Israel accused Hezbollah of firing projectiles toward northern Israel, with one intercepted and one landing in an open area. Nearly 2,500 people have been killed and over one million displaced since March 2.
Armed militants carried out simultaneous attacks across Mali on Saturday, striking Bamako, Kati, Kidal, and Gao with heavy weapons fire near the international airport. Mali's military confirmed the assaults while the Azawad separatist movement claimed control of areas in Kidal and Gao. Analysts identified the strikes as the most significant coordinated assault in years, with the JNIM group appearing to coordinate alongside Tuareg rebels in a pattern mirroring the 2012 insurgency. Mali has faced Islamic militant threats for over a decade, with security forces now confronting record levels of coordinated violence.
President Donald Trump will attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on April 25, marking his first appearance as president at an event he boycotted during his first term. He explained his turnaround on Truth Social, saying he previously skipped the event because the press was "extraordinarily bad" but accepted this year in honor of the nation's 250th birthday. The evening will feature mentalist Oz Pearlman as host rather than a traditional comedian. Over 350 journalists signed a letter calling on the WHCA to demonstrate opposition to Trump's efforts to restrict press freedom.
The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was struck by a Russian drone in February 2025. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest, remains under Russian occupation and has experienced its 13th blackout since the 2022 invasion, raising fears of uncontrolled radiation release. Survivors of the 1986 evacuation described military activities near nuclear sites as "a crime before the whole world." The international taboo against targeting nuclear facilities is eroding as U.S. and Israeli strikes hit Iranian enrichment facilities in 2024 and world leaders display a dangerous "lack of urgency," the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey could join multinational demining operations in the Strait of Hormuz following a peace agreement between Iran and the United States. Fidan said Turkey would have "no problem" with such a role, describing the work as "humanitarian." He cautioned Turkey would reassess if any technical coalition became a party to renewed conflict. The strait, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil passes, became a sticking point after Iran effectively blocked it following U.S. and Israeli attacks on February 28.
Palestinians across the West Bank held municipal elections on Saturday, the first such local votes in nearly five years, with 5,131 candidates competing across 90 municipal councils and 93 village councils. Major cities including Ramallah and Nablus used acclamation, a single-list process that eliminates competitive balloting, covering 42 municipal councils and 155 village councils. A new election law amendment requiring candidates to affirm commitment to PLO agreements has excluded Hamas and other opposition factions. Polls show 70 to 80 percent of Palestinians distrust the Palestinian Authority as an institution.
The U.S. modified sanctions to allow Venezuela to pay Maduro's defense after his attorney threatened to dismiss the case. Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who cannot afford lawyers, are jailed in Brooklyn having pleaded not guilty. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein did not intend to dismiss but questioned blocking the payments, noting the U.S. relaxed sanctions since Maduro's January capture. Hellerstein told a prosecutor that Maduro and Flores no longer present a national security threat.
Trump sending envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan Saturday for ceasefire talks with Iran, though Iranian officials say no direct negotiations are planned during the visit. Iranian military warned Saturday it would respond if the United States maintained its naval blockade of Iranian ports, calling the action "banditry" and "piracy." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent froze $344 million in cryptocurrency assets linked to Iran and ruled out renewing waivers for Iranian oil. Israeli airstrikes killed four people in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire, and Germany announced plans to deploy minesweeper ships to the Mediterranean.
Trump extended an indefinite ceasefire against Iran while maintaining a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that has turned back more than 30 cargo ships, shifting to economic pressure as peace talks remain stalled. The US military campaign reportedly destroyed 78 percent of Iranian military targets with no American casualties, but Senator Roger Wicker called on Trump to resume bombing, arguing negotiations with Iran's regime will never succeed. Iran has brought the NASHA supertanker out of retirement as Kharg Island oil storage facilities approach overflow. Trump again warned he would finish the conflict militarily if Iran refuses to negotiate.
Romania recovered drone fragments in Galati after an overnight Russian attack on Ukraine damaged an electricity pole and a household annex, marking the first property damage in such an incident, the Defence Ministry said. No casualties were reported. Romania completed final testing of the U.S.-made Merops AI counter-drone system days earlier, with Defence Minister Radu Miruta saying it would be integrated into national air defence within days, though one interceptor missed its target during trials. Romanian law permits shooting down drones in peacetime if lives or property are at risk, though authorities have yet to exercise this option.